The Healing Power Of Eggnog (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
This is a short holiday story about love and forgiveness. Will hasn’t been home since the Christmas when he came out to his family. There is a “mystery” as to why he’s stayed away, but you can guess why. When Will’s family extends an olive branch, he decides to try again but is mystified by the boarder they are sharing their house with. Ryan is a young gay man who was kicked out of his home by his religious family and is now being supported by Will’s family. At first Will is jealous and guarded with the virginal Ryan, but as the eggnog gets drunk and the inhibitions loosened the two find they might have a bit more in common than they think.**Since this is a short story, a lot happens in a time line that feels unrealistic to me, but is acceptable given the parameters of a holiday love story.I didn’t really feel Will ever had a reason to “love” Ryan or vice versa, though I was certainly rooting for the relationship.I thought the sex and the “I love yous” were rushed but sweet nonetheless.Audiobook:I thought Robbie did a nice job with the narration, this was his first narration I’d heard and I would definitely look for him in the future. He didn’t do a lot with the voices but he certainly seemed to understand and translate the story well.Overall I give the book a 3 of 5 hearts and the Audiobook a 4 of 5 hearts for a total of 3.5 hearts. This is the first Christmas story I've written since "The Christmas Wager" in 2010, and I had a tremendous amount of fun with it. First of all, even though this has little to do with the story itself, I have to say the cover design by Catt Ford was absolutely perfect, capturing exactly what I wanted it to convey. I want a poster of it!There have been comments about how fast Will and Ryan fall for each other, and I can see the point. I reined it in a bit during edits, but probably should have pulled back a little more. For those who are curious, this is where that part of the story came from:When I was nineteen, I had been living in small towns in New Hampshire, had only come out a year before that, and was utterly convinced I was the only gay man in my town, if not the entire state. Then someone told me about a local paper that carried personal ads, and occasionally a gay one would appear. So I got the paper and saw about five ads, only one of which sounded like someone looking for more than anonymous sex in an alley. So I answered it.Michael was five years older than me, cute, very gentle, and sweet. He agreed to meet at the mall, so I wouldn't be nervous, but I instantly knew that 1) I was attracted to him, and 2) I trusted him. After a couple hours of chatting over coffee, we decided to go to his apartment. Yes, I know. He could have been a serial killer. Lucky for me, he was exactly what he appeared to be. At his apartment, I met his roommates -- another gay couple -- and we talked for another hour or so. Then I said, more or less, "I've never had sex with a man. Will you teach me?"Again, thank goodness he wasn't a psychopath.Michael was the one who got nervous, at that point. He suggested I wait a day or two, to make sure that's what I wanted. I didn't need that, but I agreed to come back on Friday, when he and his roommates had a party planned. I went to the party, bided my time -- then pounced on him the moment I had him alone in his bedroom.A week later, thanks to some conflicts at home, I moved into his apartment, sharing his room with him. Was it "true love"? Perhaps not. I was too young and inexperienced. But I did love him, and we remained together for three years, until we were separated by me going to UNH and Michael going to college in -- you guessed it -- Plainfield, Vermont.
What do You think about The Healing Power Of Eggnog (2013)?
A sweet story of mending families and realizing there's room in your heart for one more.
—shilka
